Brown is undergoing evaluation for a right ankle injury sustained during a season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, leaving his status uncertain for a Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brown is still undergoing tests following an injury sustained in the second half of the team’s 13-10 season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The injury occurred early in the third quarter during Wednesday night’s game at Seattle. As Brown attempted to make a catch from quarterback Drake Maye, he fell to the turf while Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett made contact with his right ankle, pushing it against the ground. Initially listed as questionable, Brown was ruled out by the start of the fourth quarter. He finished his Patriots debut with three catches for 26 yards. He was able to walk off the field and into the locker room for further evaluation.
Mike Vrabel Addresses A.J. Brown Injury Timeline Ahead of Week 2
Speaking to reporters during his Thursday press conference in Foxborough, Vrabel declined to confirm specific details regarding a reported high ankle sprain, emphasizing that the club is waiting on final medical reports before determining a treatment course. Brown suffered a high ankle sprain, head coach Mike Vrabel declined to confirm that in his Thursday press conference. Vrabel noted that Brown’s upcoming availability is in question after he suffered an ankle injury during Wednesday night’s loss to the Seahawks. But beyond that, the club is still evaluating the receiver.
.jpg?w=1120&h=630 "Photo: bleacherreport.com")
We’re running more tests, but we’ll update you here next week,” Vrabel said. “Wasn’t able to finish the game, and we’ll continue to evaluate, continue to run tests. But I don’t know if he’ll be available going forward here for the next week, but we’ll see. “I know he’ll do everything that he can to get back as quickly as possible. And once we get the report, then we’ll figure out what the treatment plan is.”
Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots head coach
Vrabel added that the team is gathering more information on the receiver’s condition. Once we get the report, we’ll figure out what the treatment plan is,
Vrabel said.
The Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers in their home opener on Sept. 20, leaving a tight window for evaluation. New England will face Pittsburgh at home in Week 2.
Impact on the New England Offense and Training Camp Reunion
The potential absence of Brown deals an immediate blow to an offense that brought in the veteran receiver during the offseason. New England acquired Brown following a four-year stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, installing him as the primary target for Drake Maye after the team decided against bringing back Stefon Diggs following a productive 2025 season as the offense’s No. 1 receiver. Brown joins the Patriots as the clear No. 1 option for rising quarterback star Drake Maye, who led New England to a Super Bowl appearance last year.
Before the injury, Brown had participated in all 18 practices the Patriots have held so far during training camp, establishing strong chemistry with Maye. Mike Vrabel was A.J. Brown’s head coach through three seasons with the Tennessee Titans in 2019-21, and the two were reunited before the 2026 season with the New England Patriots. Vrabel recently praised Brown’s professionalism and communication following training camp sessions.
“It’s funny, just not being around him day to day for whatever years it was from Tennessee, to Philly, now here, just the maturity. An overall maturity,” Vrabel said. “The way that he communicates with coaches, the way he communicates with players… He’s accountable. He gets mistakes corrected. I mean, you can coach him hard. Todd [Downing] can coach him hard, Josh [McDaniels] can coach him hard. He wants to do well for the entire offense and wants to be a contributor.”
Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots head coach
Brown, 29, has a durable history, having played in all 17 regular-season games in 2022 and 2023, dropping to 13 during the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl title season, and then 15 in 2025 before joining New England.
Keep reading
